When you think of buying and listening to audiobooks, Audible is probably among the first names to come to mind. However, the owners of BookBub have stepped in to change the way you shop for audiobooks with Chirp, a...

When you think of buying and listening to audiobooks, Audible is probably among the first names to come to mind.

However, the owners of BookBub have stepped in to change the way you shop for audiobooks with Chirp, a free service that notifies readers of limited-time deals on quality audiobooks.

In this post, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of using Chirp, how it compares to Audible, and who the platform is best for.

What Is Chirp?

Chirp is BookBub’s audiobook platform that aims to help listeners find deals on quality audiobooks, just as BookBub does for readers with ebooks.

However, while readers can’t purchase ebooks directly from BookBub, listeners can buy audiobooks from Chirp, even if they are not on sale. That’s because unlike BookBub, Chirp is both a sales distribution and listening platform (which means you also must listen to your purchases on the Chirp app).

Chirp for Listeners

When you sign up for Chirp as a listener, you’ll first be asked to fill out a brief survey indicating what types of books you are most interested in.

Based on your preferences, Chirp will send you a daily email with the best audiobook deals for you.

In addition to the daily emails, you can also just browse the site to find other good deals on audiobooks. Browse based on your preferred genres, or check out other categories, such as Popular Deals, Trending Deals Under $2, Highly Rated Deals, and more.

Here’s a sample of what I found in my recommended deals section, to give you an idea of how cheap some of these deals can be:

If you’re not looking for the cheapest of the cheap audiobook deals or you have a specific book in mind, you can search for the book you want, check out Chirp’s featured shelves, or just browse their entire selection by category.

Here’s a sample of best-sellers that aren’t deeply discounted:

Another great feature is that you can add audiobooks to your “Wishlist,” and Chirp will notify you if and when a limited-time deal becomes available for those books.

Drawbacks of Chirp

Here are some minors drawbacks to using Chirp as an author or listener:

Not Available Outside US and Canada

At the time of this writing, Chirp is only available in the United States and Canada, which means authors in other countries will miss out for now.

Only Listen in the App

Because of digital rights management, Chirp users can only listen to the audiobooks they buy from Chirp in the Chirp app.

This is common among most audiobook platforms, but still an inconvenience to consider.

In addition, you can’t buy books directly in the app. You must first make your purchase on their website before the audiobooks appear in your in-app library.

Limited Pricing Options

When it comes to buying audiobooks through Chirp, you have two options: you can either wait for books to be featured and get them at a discount, or you can buy them whenever you want at full price.

Full-priced audiobooks on Chirp could cost the same or more than what you would pay with Audible or another platform. This makes Chirp a good option for audiobook listeners who want to discover great new books at hot rates, but perhaps not so great if you’re looking for a specific book to listen to right now.

Is Chirp Cheaper than Audible?

Chirp can often be cheaper than Audible, but it really depends on what you’re looking for. If you browse Chirp’s featured deals, you can certainly pay next to nothing for great audiobooks, but you’re limited to what’s available during the time that deal is running.

If you are looking for a specific book that doesn’t currently have a deal, you’ll pay close to full-price. For example, I’m interested in listening to My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. On Chirp, it’s currently $17.99.

In contrast, Audible offers you one free audiobook of your choice for a monthly subscription of $7.95, or two for $14.95. If I don’t use a credit, I’ll pay $24.47 for that title on Audible.

Whether Chirp or Audible is better for you depends a lot on whether you’re looking for deals or specific books, as well as how many books you plan to listen to each month.

The good news is that Chirp is free, so you don’t necessarily have to choose between the two. If you have an Audible subscription, you might keep that for when there are specific books you really want to listen to, and use Chirp to catch those too-good-to-pass-up limited-time deals.

Does Chirp Have Free Audiobooks?

Chirp does not have free audiobooks. However, deals can start as low as $0.99, and it is free to sign up for the service.

Chirp: A Viable Alternative to Audible

Chirp has a lot to offer listeners and certainly stands as a strong competitor to Amazon’s Audible. It’s ideal for readers and listeners who want to browse great deals on audiobooks, but you can also find many best-sellers at any time, even if they aren’t part of a featured deal.

To find more great audiobook deals, check out our list of the 10 best websites where you can find free audiobooks.

Have you tried Chirp? Let us know what you thought in the comments below!

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